ROYAL PALM FRONDS

September 2000 Table of Contents

ROYAL PALM FRONDS
Betsy Bracey

It's been some time since news of Royal Palm and its owners has appeared in these pages due to a combination of work and travel. The work, as you know, involves retrofitting our complex which has kept our office staff, grounds keepers and maintenance personnel more than busy, closer to hectic. From the earliest days of our efforts RPCA directors
suspected that it would take at least a year to recover from the devastation of Floyd and it has - a year this month with some areas still needing attention. When Alberto's path took it out to sea you could feel the
release of a collective breath. I imagine we will have more than a few
breath holding days before we can sigh in November, for surely no one will
ever again take hurricane warnings for granted in this village.

The travel involved a three week trip in July to the south of England to join my husband who is spending four months in a surgical practice in South Devon, an area from which many Bahamian's ancestors departed for America and latterly these islands. Devon is a most glorious part of the UK. Driving through the winding 15 foot hedgerows is an amazement. The story told is they were planted in convoluted routes throughout hundreds of miles of countryside to confuse Napoleon's troops, whom they expected to invade. It certainly would have been an excellent ruse for to this day one must manoeuvre very carefully, reverse every few miles or less, into the smallest of turn offs, while getting accustomed to a car passing so closely that the made-to-collapse side mirrors snap shut with a crack. Another breath holding moment. Local papers headlined a lorry driver (trucker) who got caught in a hedgerow and was stranded for eight hours! As I said, amazing.

Although I refused to drive I did thoroughly enjoy the diversity of what a
short driving trip can reveal: seaside with mountainous cliffs or vast
beaches, countryside so green and full of blooms that one can imagine the
entire island is a garden, moors stretching beyond vision dotted by "tors",
which are rock outcroppings that nature piled up in such oddly-balanced shapes one fears they might tumble. And all around you wild ponies grazing while colts whinney and scamper amid the hundreds of mute, munching highland sheep. Kodak moments at every turn.

On the home scene most of our owners have visited during these last months. Currently with us: Flavia and Augustino Campi with a much bigger Mattia, Francesca Campi, Virginia and Harry Peterson, Jackie and Stewart Carrell, Consuelo and Jorge Latour, Director Hagen and Peggy Peters, Marco Perez, Director Jack Tupper, Jerry and Mary Freisinger, Jim and David Nielsen, Ellen and Daniel Kaplan with four little ones, Jean and Bill Whelan, Tom Seward, Freda and David Janney, Roger Hedge, Nancy and Woody McKay and Joyce Turpin.

Recently departed: Stuart and Lucy Sripp, Director Bill and Kathleen
Draper, Edwin Pearlstine, Monique de Forrest Schneider, Paola and Fabrizio
Ghersel, Phillipa and Rob Harris, Gary Graham and Erika and Tim Parker. We expect Director Mike and Karen Meyer to arrive today along with Michael Durante.

It is with great sadness that we tell you of the loss of one of our owners,
Carl Durante, who passed away recently. Carl was an original buyer in Royal Palm, a great golfer, one who loved fishing but mostly one who loved
company. Carl was always ready with a laugh, a joke and always had a joyous disposition. He was a very dear friend to so many of us who will miss him for always. Carl is survived by his wife of 50 years, Mary, sons Michael and Mark and daughter, Mary. Carl and Mary have several grandchildren, one of whom, Chris, used to visit Treasure Cay regularly in years past. We send our love and deep sympathy to Mary and to all of the Durante family.

We must tell you of dear friends who sold their Royal Palm home just last
month, Jean and Bill Glasgow. Bill was a director for many years, serving
Royal Palm thoughtfully and with enthusiasm. He contributed much to us all. We urge you to urge them to return often for long visits. You are missed, Jean and Bill! Please don't forget us.

We happily report that we have owners who have been Treasure Cay residents forever but now in Royal Palm. Linda and Buddy Gerald, welcome! We are so pleased that you chose us and wish you every happiness with your new home away from home. We are also fortunate to welcome another long time Treasure Cay resident couple, Nancy and Woody McKay, and extend to them the same very good wishes for a happy stay in Royal Palm.

Phillipa and Rob Harris have joined our owners list all the way from Merry
Old England and to them we say Cheers! They have already made many friends and Rob has been severely bitten by the 'fishing bug' thanks to David and Freda Janney who provided him the opportunity to catch (and release) his first fish, a marlin! This is the definitely the way to be initiated. Right, Rob?

Until next time, Cheerio! Tata! Bottoms up! and Bob's your uncle!

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